Pocketknife



F. VINCENT.

POCKETKN IFE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I4, I920.

Patehted Apr. 4, 1922.

A'I'TORNEY FRANZ VINCENT, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

P0 CKETKNIFE.

Application filed October 14, 1920. Serial No. 416,972.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANZ VINonN'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut,- have invented an Improvement in Pocketknives, of which the following is a specification. A 4 r This invention relates'to pocket knives having a blade sliding in and out oi": an enclosing handle casing.

One object is to provide a sliding blade with a head fitting closely the interior of the casing so as to be held firmly in operative position.

Another object i to supply a shield :tor the knife aperture for pre enting the admission of foreign matter.

Still another object is to provide animproved operative and locking mechanism for controlling the position of the blade in retracted and extended position.

A further object isto utilize a stamped out one piece seamless casing Whose interior surface shall be completely finished in the stamping process so as to provide a proper bearing surface for parts sliding therein and which shall have its interior corners clean and well formed. 1

Other objects will become evident in connection with the description of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which: 7 Fig. 1 is a reduced perspective view of the knife with the blade in retracted position;

Fi 2, a reduced perspective view with the blade extended;

Fig. 3, a side view with the casing sectioned showing the parts in position;

' Fig. 4, a similar side view with the blade retracted; i

Fig. '5, asimilaredgewise view showing the rod in position atone side of the blade and the shield in position;

i Fig. 6; a perspective view, in detail, of the upper endof the rod and related partsdisassembled; and i v Fig 7 is a perspective view of the shield. f

The casing has a body portion 10 formed of a single pieceof stamped seamless metal, made by well known processes, slotted at ll, of elliptical cross section and suitably roughened on its exterior. For covering the slot a shield 12 is placed at one side of the slot.

The shield comprises a semi-elliptical part 13, which is the shield proper,.a spring blade portion 14: and a flange or offset 15 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

bears against the flattened side of the casing. An elongated slot 16 encloses the reduced end 17 of the rod 18 which seated and turns or oscillates in the hole 19 to one side of the slot 11. The reduced end of the rod has a length equal to the thickness of the casing and the shield proper13 and a shoulder 20 rests upon the shield proper so as to hold it in place and at the same time oolmit sliding of the shield proper beneath it as will be described The rod 18 extends lengthwise of the casing 10 at one side ofits center and is provided near its other end with a collar 21 at one side of a recessed bearing member 22. The recessed bearing member is entered in the open end of the casing and makes a close lit with it. It is held byreason of a driving lit or is sweated in place.

The recessed bearing member ha a trans verse or stop portion 23 and an engaging sleeve portion24; which extends around the edge of the stop portion except where it is cut away at 25 to make room for the button 26 which sets over the endof the rod so as to have a sliding fit thereon as later described in detail. Betweenthe button and the stop portion 2-? a spiral spring 31 is placed;

r The sleeve 24 extends beyond the open end of the body 10 of the casingand a cap 32'is sweated to the sleeve to close the end of the casing. The cap has a rectangular slot 27 centrallylocated through which the corresponding rectangular end 29 of the button passes with a sliding fit. In order to locate the head 29 in the central slot 27 it is offset on the body'of the button 26 and a rim 30 is formed on the button to provide a suitable stop surface on the button. v I leiterring to Figure 6 the button is seen to have a central cylindrical recess 85with a short pin 36 which is entered in the groove 37 forming in'efi'ect a cylindrical cam surface. As the recess is of the same diameter as the rod'18 it is plain that the pin and slot will serve to turn the rod 18 when, as in Figure 4, for instance, the button is depressed against the spring 31. As the button is held from rotation by the recess 25 in the hearing member 2-2, the rod will rotate in its bearings about a halfturn in the direction of the arrowupon depression of the button and in the reverse direction when the button is released and the spring returns it to its first position i of the red the it ,1, the rod 18 The rotation of the rod serves to move the three lugs 38, 39 and 40 on the rod 18 which are integral with the rod 18. Lugs 38 and 39 are carefully faced on opposite surfaces so as to form latches-asluter explained while lug 40 serves to displace the shield proper 13 by ressing upon-the spring blade 14.

l l hen the button 29 is depressed the rotation of the rod is such as to force the lug 40 against the blade 14 of the shield and then Slide the shield proper away from the Slot 11 and uncover it so theblade may pass through theslot. Upon the reverse rotation lug 40 will be moved away from the blade 14 and by action of the spring blade the shield proper will be moved back to cover the slot after the blade has returned to the interior of the casin When the knife blade is extended it holds t 1e shield awa from the slot.

'1 e knife blade 41 of usual form has a ark d ill d u e a to ece ve a pi .1 Y' h c fastens it o a 1 M14 n orde o maintain the head rigidly in the casing but at h sa e ime t rm dinsth rem h ro s ec i n o he h s pr ica ly tha of t in er' su fa e o h cas ng and sufficient length given'the head so as to ovide enough bearmgsurfaee.

slot 45 centrally located is made in th s head to receive the shank 42 of the knife.

The depth of this slot is such as to receive L within it at one side of the shank and its width is made such as to clear the flange 15 of the shield and at the same time to be guided and steadied'by the edges of the flan e. r

Lug 8 is shown passing over the edge of slot 45 and upon the end surface of the head 44 when the blade is retracted and in Figure 3 lu 39 is shown as bearing upon d surface of the head at the edge retain the blade inlatched positionin retracted or extended positions.

Pressure on the end 29 of the button will rotate the lug 38 out of latching position and move the shield from the slot 11.. When the button is depressed and held the head 44 is unlatched and this release will allow the hnife blade .41 to pass through the uncovered slot 1; intothe position shown in Figure 3. When the button end 29 is released the sprin returns the button to normal position andt e pin 36 in slot 37 returns-the shaft to starting position and consequently the lug 39 passes over the inner end surface of the head 44 and latches. The knife-is new ages f i p order to retract the blade the button is a an; pressed and the head. 44 unlatched, the

ba l? dropped back into the casing and late ad in retracted position and the shield to return to its place over the slot. t should be noted that the rotation of the shaft 18 at this time moves the lug 40 against the spring blade 14 and presses it back so that the blade ean freely pass the shield proper 1 3.

Having thus described my invention; I claim:

1. In a knife, a seamless casing body, a blade, ahead fastened thereto, a latching surface on each end of said head, a rod, lugs on said rod, means to oscillate said rod and place the lugs in latching position upon the end surfaces ofthe head.

2. In a knife,'a casing, a rod mounted for oscillatory movement, latching lugs thereon, a spring surrounding oneiend, a spiral cam surface on said rod, a button mounted on one end of said rodbearing on the spring and turning on said nod, and a pin on sai button engaging the cam sunflwe- '3. In a knife, a casing having a slot at one end thereof, a shieldthenefor having a shield portion, an oscillatory rod, a

therefor adjacent said slot, said shield proper having an opening through which said passes to said bearing, means on said rod preventing dis lacement c t-the shield permitting the sliding ofthe shield proper, a flexible blade on said shield sliding it in one direction, and means on the rod sliding the shield in another direction upon oscillation of the rod. i

r 4. In a knife, 9. casing,-a knife blade,.a head therefor'sliding in said casing, an oscillatory rod for latching and releasing the head and blade, a bearing for the rod in one end of the casing,.a second bearing near the other end of the casing, a recessed bearing member carrying the second bea andfastened in the casing, a button recess in the bearing member, a button sliding in said recess and having an and extending without the casing, a spring between the button and the bearing member, a cam surface on said rod, a pin on said button moving thereon, said button moving in said recess when its extending end is pressed and turning said rod, and said spring moving the button and turning the rod in reversedirection when the extending end of the button is released.

5. In a knife, a casing, a rod therein, bearings therefor in the casing, actuating means for the rod causing movement in misdirection and the reverse, a plurality of latching lugs on said rod and a shield moving lag preventing longitudinal movement of the slot for the passage of the knife blade, a shield for the slot and a flange on said 10 shield fitting within the slot in the head and alining the head when the knife blade is in extended position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANZ VINCENT. 

